Disarticulation of the Hip for Benign Disease

From the Department of Surgery, Veterans Administration Hospital and University of Washington School of Medicine.; Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine; Chief, Surgical Service, Veterans Administration Hospital.

Although Pack1 states that hip joint disarticulation is a well-recognized and commonly performed operation for non-neo-plastic conditions, a review of published cases suggests it has been resorted to more frequently for malignancies. Such reports indicate that exarticulation of the hip joint has been largely reserved for tumors of the leg and upper thigh intractable to other measures. Because of the natural reservation toward an operation resulting in physical deformity, particularly when employed bilaterally, it is our intent to report six patients in whom disarticulation of the hip was performed for benign disease. In this group 10 disarticulations, 4 bilateral and 2 unilateral were carried out. The indications, technique, and results of hip disarticulation will be reviewed and the six cases briefly described.

Report of Cases

Case 1.—A 65-year-old white man admitted Aug. 1, 1946, with pain and swelling of the left foot and lower calf for the past